I realised the other day that I haven't updated my TypeLists (ie what I'm reading and listening to) in too long and consequently it looks like it's taken me five months to read Stevie G's autobiography. I can assure you that this is not true. Since completing that most demanding of biographies I've not read all that much but have recently enjoyed reading 'A Short History of Tractors in Ukranian' (which is thankfully the title of the novel not a description of it's contents).
I've also just started The Spirituality Revolution (thanks for the book loan steve!), which is demanding and much more psychoanylitical than I would normally choose but nevertheless enjoyable. One point that stood out from today's reading, which took place on the 13:57 from Newcastle to King's Cross, was Tacey's interpretation of 'pick and mix' spirituality. Tacey highlights the correlation between this selection process and the learning process of educated people (observe, hypothesize, test, conclude) and writes;
"What is berated by religious conservatives as 'pick and mix' could be the logical necessary application of the scientific method to our spiritual experiences. Rather than seeing this behaviour as disloyal or faithlessness, it could be reconfigured through the lens of science in a radically different way; as a sign that people are taking their spiritual lives seriously, and applying the best criteria they know to the lived experience of the spiritual life. "
Tacey re-reads the church's criticisms of 'youth spirituality' (his term) in this way throughout the book and it's genius! If you like the sounds of it I've just discovered that you can read the intro to the book on Amazon here.
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